Tuesday, 14 February 2017

Liberty fabric suppliers

Last summer I talked about making a new quilt using some Liberty remnants I've been hoarding for the past few years. But when I went through my stash, I realised there were only three I actually wanted to use and that I'd need to buy a few more Liberty fabrics (such a hardship!) My first port of call was the Liberty shop itself as there's currently 50% off online on selected prints, but annoyingly there was nothing in the sale that was quite right. Full price Liberty fabric is pricey (£22.50 a metre for Tana lawn), so I decided to do a bit of online research to see if I could find cheaper options....

I spent an entire afternoon overdosing on Liberty prints and could quite easily have been at it for days on end if I didn't had children to look after. I did however, manage to find quite a few cheaper alternatives, so if you love Liberty prints but don't love their usual hefty price tags, read on! I've included a mixture of bricks and mortar shops and online stores, but obviously it's nowhere near a comprehensive list. I should also point out that I've used some, but not all of these suppliers, so can't vouch for them all personally. Hopefully one of them may lead you to a bargain though!

This friendly online store offers a mix of classic and contemporary prints at reduced prices, often in unusual colourways. The majority of fabrics are Tana lawn and Lifestyle cottons, with some jersey and cord prints also stocked.

THE place to go for discounted Liberty fabrics if you're in London. They stock absolutely everything, with a far broader range than the Liberty store itself, including all the classic floral prints and lots of seasonal collections. If you're desperate to track down a discontinued or limited edition print, give them a try, they probably have it in stock. The firework print fabric I got for Christmas was found at Shaukat after it had sold out at Liberty.

Classic Textiles stocks some lovely Tana lawns and silks. Last time I was there I think Tana lawn was about £17 a metre and silk amazingly was about £12 a metre. I used Liberty silk from this shop to line my boiled wool coat.

Misan West on Goldhawk Road is a relatively new fabric shop and also stocks Liberty fabrics. Definitely worth paying a visit if you're in the area.

I found this eBay seller via What Kate Sews a couple of years ago when she listed her favourite eBay fabric shops. In Katie's words, "A good source for Liberty Tana Lawns in largeish pre-cut lots. At roughly £30 for a 3 metre cut it's a good deal." I''d agree with that! You can also get good deals on smaller pieces - I snapped up a metre of hard-to-find Carline print for £15 last year.

If you have a favourite place for sourcing discounting Liberty fabric, please let me know in the comments. And whilst I'm at it, what's your favourite Liberty print? My favourite is Carline, which I've just noticed seems to be in stock again at Liberty. Sadly not in the sale though. Have a good week! x

22 comments:

Hi Jane - the Standfast & Barracks factory shop in Lancaster is good if you can go in person. It's just off the motorway and they have good Liberty seconds at about £9/metre (though used to be cheaper). Hit and miss as to what they'll have but worth calling in if you're in the area. I believe that Kat's Fabrics on eBay that you mention are the online version of the factory shop too.

There's also Desai in Child's Hill, NW London. They do past season tana lawn for £12 a metre. Bit out the way but worth popping in if you like Liberty. I did a review here. https://pootleandmake.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/desai-fabrics/

There's a guy on Huddersfield open monday market who sells liberty tana lawn for £7.70 a metre. I think his fabric is seconds as I have occasionally noticed small faults in the print. He has a good selection and has been selling at in and around Huddersfield for years.

You can't beat a northern market for fabric bargains, I wish there was somebody like him down south! I used to love visiting the fabric stalls at Preston market when visiting my Grandma as a teenager. x

In Australia and NZ, The Fabric Store is the place to get all the Things. I have a dress length of Alma in the colourway Joe mad his tie out of (which is when the world stopped spinning until I owned some of my own!) With an orange lace bolero (lace dyed already) I shall be the best dressed step mum of the bride in March lol

Please stop the temptation! Sherwoods Fabrics (online only but I've had very good experiences with them) do loads of old Liberty prints which aren't listed separately but will leap out at the Liberty saddoes! The Tana lawn is £10.90 and £14.90 and the silks are about £20 quid. It is so hard to narrow it down but my favourite prints are Ombrellino (having just seen "Diary of a Chain Stitcher's" silk robe) and Alma (the colourway with purple figs). Liberty fabric also has great therapeutic value - you can gaze at it, stroke it, it never answers back and it always looks lovely no matter how many years it has been folded up in the "stash"! Susan x

Standfast & Barracks will do mail order if you call them; They don't have an online shop but I would guess that this is where Kat's Fabrics get their stock.I would be careful buying the Carline print- most of what's available is not Liberty, although good quality (just make sure you aren't paying Liberty prices!).If you're making a quilt, I'd recommend Shaukat's Sea Island cotton: great prints, almost identical quality to tana lawn but much cheaper.